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1938 BUICK Y-JOB

When General Motors opened its historic Mechanical Assembly garage for a rare look inside, several of its Motorama dream cars were being prepped for an exhibit at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. We asked design chief Ed Welburn, who has been responsible for vehicles as diverse as the Oldsmobile Aerotech closed-course record holder, the Hummer H3 and the new Chevrolet Camaro, for his impressions of each--and we asked him which he'd drive home if his in-laws or high-school buddies happened to be in town.

1951 BUICK LESABRE

The first concept car was created to mark the evolution of the Art and Colour Section into GM Styling in 1937. The Y-Job was supposed to be a laboratory on wheels, but it was ultimately a Trojan horse, carrying Harley Earl's mantra of "longer, lower, wider" to new extremes. It was Earl's daily driver through the 1940s.

Welburn: "This one is the granddaddy, and that's enough. The idea it embodies certainly had legs, didn't it?"

1956 FIREBIRD II TITANIUM

The car that launched the postwar tidal wave at GM Styling was inspired by Earl's fascination with military aircraft, particularly early jets. It's built of aluminum, magnesium and fiberglass, with a rain-sensing switch in the center console that automatically closes the roof. The LeSabre was GM's ambassador to the world through the 1950s, accumulating more than 50,000 miles in events around the globe.

Welburn: "Not the first but certainly the classic. It's exactly what the idea should be. It's gorgeous, and it moved the ball, and it inspires lust. Who wouldn't want to drive this thing? This might be the one."

1959 CADILLAC CYCLONE

Built for the dedication ceremony at GM's new Technical Center, the Firebird II is believed to be the only vehicle built with a full titanium body. The panels had to be heated to 920 degrees Fahrenheit to be shaped into complex curves. GM developed epoxy resins to bond the titanium to the frame metal without welds, only now becoming standard practice on supercars around the world.

Welburn: "Built to inspire a specific feeling--as much an exercise in technology as an exercise in design. I can only assume the titanium was pretty difficult to work with, because no one has made another titanium car since."

1959 STING RAY SPECIAL RACER

One of the last "space age" Motorama cars, the Cyclone featured a dazzling bubble top that stowed in the car. It presaged technologies that reached production vehicles decades later. The nose cones feature obstacle-warning avionics that set the stage for active safety systems, while a hands-free two-way radio operated through a speaker in the driver's door.

Welburn: "This car evolved under Bill Mitchell from what I saw in Philadelphia as a kid, but it speaks to the 'dream' idea in the Motorama cars. Clearly, it did its job, because it grabbed my attention. And it changed as the people designing it were inspired to push in a slightly different direction. The fins were an impetus for the more subtle variants that started around 1960."

2008 CADILLAC CTS COUPE CONCEPT

The original Sting Ray was designed by Bill Mitchell on the XP-87 mule tested by Juan Manuel Fangio and Stirling Moss at Sebring. Mitchell bought it for $500 after Zora Arkus-Duntov's Corvette SS race program was quashed, and it shaped the mold for the '63 Corvette.

Welburn: "This was created as a race car, but when you look at it, you realize every single line is influenced by the underwater creature it's named after. Even here, style mattered."

Shown in Detroit as an evolution of the CTS-V sedan, this concept is thought to be the precursor to a shooting-brake-style wagon for Cadillac's small car. Love it or hate it, it's striking, to say the least, with a sheer, imposing presence rarely achieved in a vehicle of its exterior dimensions.

Welburn: "I loved this car the first time I saw the mock-ups. I love the way the taillights hint subtly at tail fins. It's exactly what I mean about heritage pointing toward the future. I called Bob Lutz and said, 'You have to see this,' and he called Rick Wagoner, and everyone said, 'Get it ready for Detroit!' If not the LeSabre, then this one, for sure."